Samuel Adams: One of the Largest Beer Companies in the US

Samuel Adams is a hard to miss name in the industry of alcoholic beverage. The brand name is one of the products and subsidiaries of the Boston Beer Company. Lorenzo Lamadrid, Harry M. Rubin and Jim Koch founded the company in 1984.

The name Samuel Adams was chosen by the business partners to honor the American patriot who was famous for his role in the Boston Tea Party and in the American Revolution. Jim Koch prior to the creation of the business used to work for the Boston Consulting Group. He was just fresh from getting his BA, MBA and JD degrees from Harvard University. The first product he produced was the Samuel Adams Boston Lager, which was first developed in 1860 by Louis Koch, his great grandfather who stopped manufacturing the product during the age of prohibition and until the 1950s.

When Jim got hold of this recipe, he started brewing his first batch in his kitchen using the family recipe. His eagerness to get back to the brewing industry sprouted from the need to provide Americans a good crafted beer that was virtually non-existent that time. Only imported brands were present during that time like Heineken and Beck’s.

Samuel Adams is also known for their seasonal beers: Cold Snap (January-March), Summer Ale (April-August), Octoberfest (August-October) and Winter Lager (November-January). The business is into a lot of experimenting and has produced a variety of beers that are available all year round. These varieties include Irish Red, Latitude 48 IPA, Blackberry Witbier, Boston Ale, Pale Ale, Scotch Ale, Cream Stout, Coastal Wheat, Cherry Wheat, Black Lager, Sam Adams Light and Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

There are about 840 employees manning their breweries in Pennsylvania and in Ohio. In 2008 the company became the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. As of, they are tied with Yuengling for the largest.